A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. This patent document may show and/or describe matter which is or may become trade dress of the owner. The copyright and trade dress owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by any one of the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright and trade dress rights whatsoever.
This invention relates generally to ground transportation and in particular, to simultaneous transfer of motor vehicles and their operators.
With improvements to the Interstate highway system, the decline in available passenger rail service, and increased safety concerns over air travel, travelers are electing with increasing frequency, for both business and pleasure, to utilize ground transportation to travel to their destination. When the stay is for extended periods, it is both advantageous and economical to have one""s personal vehicle available at the destination.
In the past, this has been accomplished by either driving the personal vehicle to the destination, shipping the personal vehicle to the destination and collecting it upon arrival, or when available, using combined rail and personal vehicle modes of transport, for example, AMTRAK""s xe2x80x9cAutoTrainxe2x80x9d.
Depending on the distance traveled, driving one""s personal vehicle to the destination may add significant wear and tear to the vehicle, as well as leave the driver fatigued at the end of the journey. Shipping the vehicle separately saves wear and tear on the vehicle, however, the vehicle""s operator may arrive at the destination prior to the vehicle, creating logistical problems and wasted time for the operator. Although transportation modes such as the AutoTrain have attempted to solve these logistical problems by transporting the vehicle and operator together, the destinations served by such rail service are limited in number, with rigid departure and arrival schedules.
Prior attempts to simultaneously transport, via ground transportation, freight and passengers have met with limited success. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,241,308 to Gaspard, II, et al. (the ""308 patent) is directed to a vehicle divided into a passenger area and a freight area to transport passengers and freight. The freight preferably is transported within an intermodal container. The vehicle is a truck frame interconnected to a coach spine in a three-dimensional region as an integrally-framed vehicle to support both the passenger area and the freight area. This results in forces from a load on the freight area being distributed across the frame of the vehicle over the three-dimensional region and into the passenger area. A conventional engine is preferably positioned at the rear portion of the vehicle beneath the freight area.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,201,415 to Suchanek (the ""415 patent) is directed to a long distance truck tractor with two interior levels including driving and navigation equipment and living quarters with sleeping compartments. A stairway interconnects the two levels, with the engine located in the rear of the truck tractor. While not specifically disclosed, such a truck tractor may be used to haul a known, conventional, multi-vehicle trailer.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,933,258 to Forsyth, et al. (the ""258 patent) is directed to a vehicular transportation system wherein small electrically driven passenger vehicles are carried as a group in a transporter or carrier vehicle. The transporter vehicle carries extendable ramps which may be deployed from either end of the vehicle body for loading and unloading the passenger vehicles. The transporter vehicle and electrically driven passenger vehicles operate as a combined unit to reduce fuel consumption, air pollution, and congestion, or it may operate independently as separate elements on highways or expressways or surface streets.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,785,514 to Forsyth, et al. (the ""514 patent) is directed to a transporter vehicle employed for transporting a plurality of small passenger satellite vehicles or cars on a conventionally designed rapid transit main traffic artery or freeway. An on-ramp is provided leading to the main traffic artery for accommodating entry of an approaching transporter vehicle so that it may merge with oncoming controlled groups of other transporter vehicles.
The engine locations described by the above referenced patents prohibit easy engine access. Additionally, an integrated freight hauling-passenger frame as described in the ""308 patent, limits the volume of freight capable of being transported due to physical size and design limitations inherent in the use of a single vehicle frame. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide simultaneous vehicle and operator transporting assemblies of a design having performance characteristics that will increase the freight hauling and simultaneous passenger carrying capabilities while providing ease of access to critical engine components. The present invention fulfills this need, and further provides related advantages.
The present invention identifies additional criteria from which to design a transportation system for simultaneously transporting vehicles and their operators. The system provides for extending a conventional truck cab to include a passenger section in combination with a separate vehicle carrying trailer.
In a first preferred embodiment, the present invention comprises a passenger truck cab unit which includes a body mounted to and supported by a truck chassis and a lower structure mounted to and supported by the truck chassis for additional support of the body; a vehicle transport unit for transporting the at least one vehicle; and a hitch mounted to and supported by the truck chassis for attaching the vehicle transport unit to the passenger truck cab unit.
The body comprises a door opening extending into the lower structure for providing a vehicle operator entry and exit separate from a driver compartment door. The passenger truck cab unit tows the vehicle transport unit.
In a second preferred embodiment, the hitch is removed and replaced by decking of sufficient strength to support and transport a load of freight.
The present invention also includes the method of simultaneously transporting at least one vehicle and at least one vehicle operator, as well as the passenger truck cab unit used in simultaneously transporting at least one vehicle and at least one vehicle operator.
The present invention also includes the method of simultaneously transporting a load of freight and at least one passenger, as well as the passenger truck cab unit used in simultaneously transporting the freight load and at least one passenger.
One advantage of the present invention is the ability to insure simultaneous arrival of a vehicle operator and his vehicle.
Another advantage is the ability to economically service smaller markets. Current systems for transporting vehicles and their operators by highway employ known full size buses to transport vehicles operators and known full size tractor trailers to transport their vehicles. A smaller market or a newly entered market may not generate enough business to economically justify continued operation. The present invention provides economic advantages to economically justify service of these markets until business revenue justifies use of the larger, separate units.
Still another advantage is that use of a heavier truck tractor frame and truck engine increases the service life.
Yet another advantage is that use of forward engine mounted truck tractors permits easy access to the truck engine for maintenance and repair.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following more detailed description of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.